Windows 7 System locks up, no BSOD, more frequent using RAM in dual channel config

[crumplezones]

Hi All,

I'm having problems with my computer I built some time ago now. From time to time it will completely stop responding and need to be reset using the power switch (sound also hangs if there is any at the time). This will happen very frequently when the RAM is in a dual channel configuration, this has always been the case. In a single channel config the problem seemed to vanish though so I just kind of made do like that, this has worked for a number of months - recently though it's happened a couple of times even in this config. Instinctively it feels like a module coming loose, or losing connection with the motherboard, but I've reseated the RAM many a time.

There's a couple of things that seem to make this more likely; Streaming Flash video (ie for TV catch up services) and opening uTorrent in particular. Although while running in single channel this was never really an issue, in dual channel I can get it to crash very quickly using one of these activities.

I know this isn't a heat issue as I've done a lot of stress testing with pure95 and a gpu stress test I forget the name of. I've also ran memtest over night with no problems, and the HDD diagnostic tool from Samsung, again with no problems.
Components in my system are listed on my profile - essentially, core i5 750, Crucial 2x2GB DDR 3, 9800gt, Gigabyte P55 board, Linksys WPM600N wireless, Samsung F3 HDD.

Thanks for any help, I've attached the output from the SF Diag Tool.

 

[CommonTater]

If it's hanging with no BSOD it likely is a memory problem.

In your bios, try setting your memory and cpu detection on automatic, let the system determine the values for your automatically ... Especially remove any overclocking or overvolting... see how that goes.

You can also try a memory diagnostic. There's a pretty good one in the "Boot" folder of the Win7 DVD.

 

[TorrentG]

Two culprits in these kind of things are memory and antivirus.

I would attempt to uninstall whichever antivirus you have in safe mode using the tool found here:

AV Uninstallers - Windows 7 Forums

Then boot to normal mode and install MSE, since this never causes this or bsod type issues.

 

[crumplezones]

Only AV I've used, and am currently using is MSE and I'm pretty sure the problem existed before I started using it.

Starting to think it might be the motherboard being borked :|

No overclocking of any sort going on, never has been. Think it was memtest86 I ran in the past over night without any problems being found.

 

[TorrentG]

You can post 2 screenshots of CPU-Z. On of the spd tab and one of the memory tab. This will help determine if things are well or not with ram settings.

Type snipping tool from the start menu then hit enter to get the app to make screenshots. Attach them to a post using the paperclip above where you type, in advanced mode reply.

Perhaps it would also be helpful to attach the system info. To do that, you can type msinfo32 in the start menu then hit enter. File |
save on the opened screen. Then zip the saved file and attach it the same way.

 

[crumplezones]

Here are the two grabs and the .nfo from msinfo32.

Thanks very much for the help

 

[TorrentG]

In the bios, set the tRAS (Cycle Time) from its current 24 - change it to be 25.

Wow, so many things starting with Windows. I would get rid of all or most. If you don't know how to do that the "proper" way with regedit, just type msconfig in the start menu then hit enter. Go to startup tab and disable.

I would also check with Linksys to update the driver for the WMP600N wireless card. The current driver is rather old. You also do not need the app involved with this to start with the machine, either. The Windows' WLAN service takes care of the connection.

 

[crumplezones]

I used to spend time clearing that sort of thing up - I guess I've just got lazy as I've moved to faster hardware. Have cleaned the start up items, I now just have Dropbox, SongKicker, MSE and the Spyder3 monitor calibration, thanks for prodding me in to doing that.

I changed the tRas value to 25 - what does this actually do? It had been set at 24 automatically by the BIOS (everything was set to auto previously). Could this be the root of my problem or just a recommended tweak?

Before coming here I updated all the drivers I could find. The Linksys one is all they have - seems it's never been updated.

 

[TorrentG]

If you look at the spd tab, the programmed value for tRAS is 25, under the the other matching timings. The lower 24 number previously set at, as the memory tab shows, could have been introducing a problem due to its lower-than-designed-for timing.

You're welcome...let us know if there's been any beneficial effect.

 

[crumplezones]

Only just got chance to test now, sadly same problems as before in dual channel; I booted the computer up, opened utorrent and started streaming something and sure enough it crashed within a couple of minutes.

 

[TorrentG]

Blue screen crash or another hang?

 

[crumplezones]

Just as before, no BSOD.